Siheyuan: I just came across and wanted to chase me away

"Qin Huairu!" Before Jia Zhangshi could even reach her, she rushed over with an urgent, almost frantic, voice filled with barely suppressed urgency. Spittle flew from her mouth as she spoke, a few drops even landing directly on Qin Huairu's face. She took two steps forward, her triangular eyes wide with shock: "Was that brat Gu Nan dealt with? Look, it's almost dark, and his beat-up bicycle still hasn't appeared at the gate. Something must have happened to him! I knew it! Evil deeds get their just desserts; Heaven has eyes!"

Qin Huairu stopped abruptly, one leg dangling in mid-air as she stepped into the courtyard. A bitter look crossed her face, like a vegetable leaf touched by autumn frost. She slowly shook her head, her voice as soft as a sigh: "Gu Nan wasn't dealt with. It was Deputy Factory Director Li who was arrested. I saw it with my own eyes just now at the factory. Two uniformed policemen were carrying him, their wrists visibly cuffed. They were escorting him out of the office building. Lots of workers were watching. There's no mistake."

"What?!" Jia Zhangshi's voice suddenly rose eight octaves, shrieking like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. The greasy rag she was clutching fell to the ground with a "thud," getting covered in dust, and then she unconsciously stepped on it, leaving a dark, grimy mark. Her eyes widened, her mouth gaping open enough to fit an egg, and she was stunned for a long time. After a while, as if suddenly possessed, she muttered in a trembling voice, "Deputy Factory Director Li has been arrested? Then... then what are we going to do from now on? Banggeng's job in the countryside depended on him pulling some strings to get him a spot to stay in the city. Now that he's gone, who will speak up for us? Banggeng will have to suffer in the countryside again. I heard that the mosquitoes there are so big they can eat people, and in winter they freeze your ears off. How can my precious grandson stand it!"

Qin Huairu lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes casting a light shadow beneath them, concealing the weariness in her eyes. Her voice lowered, carrying a faint, feeble weakness: "I had no choice. Who could have imagined it would turn out like this... Everything was fine just a few days ago, how could they arrest me like this? Now that Deputy Factory Director Li has been arrested, Gu Nan has the final say in everything at the factory. You know his relationship with our institute, so the matter of Bang Geng is probably going to be really difficult to handle."

Upon hearing this, Jia Zhangshi immediately flew into a rage, leaping up like a lit firecracker. Her finger almost poked Qin Huairu's nose as she spat and yelled, "You good-for-nothing! You're utterly useless! You can't even handle this little thing! I told you before to keep in touch with Deputy Factory Director Li, and to give away the eggs and cloth coupons we had at home, but you always said you were too busy, that we didn't have the money, and that you couldn't bear to part with them! Now look what's happened! The sky has fallen! If my grandson really gets sent to the countryside, his life will be ruined! I'm not finished with you! I'll fight you to the death!"

Qin Huairu's eyes instantly reddened from the scolding, tears welling up like a broken string of pearls, but she stubbornly held them back—at this point, nothing she said mattered; Jia Zhangshi's words were like countless fine needles, piercing her heart, making even breathing difficult. She gripped the empty vegetable basket tightly, her knuckles turning white, but she couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal.

At this moment, Banggeng came up from behind Jia Zhangshi, his little hands tightly clutching Qin Huairu's clothes. His voice was thick with sobs, and his shoulders trembled as he said, "Mom, you know me. I've always been afraid of hard work. Even carrying a bucket of water is a struggle for me. How could I possibly do farm work? I've heard that the bugs in the countryside are huge and can bite, and the sun is so strong it can make your skin peel. If I really go to the countryside, I definitely won't survive... Mom, I won't go, I really won't go..."

Qin Huairu felt as if countless needles were pricking her heart, a dense, throbbing pain that made it almost impossible for her to breathe. She knelt down and gently stroked her son's head; his hair was soft and still carried the faint scent of milk he had when he was a child. She forced a smile that was more like a grimace, her voice trembling as she tried to steady herself: "Bangeng, don't be afraid, there's still time. Although Deputy Factory Director Li has been arrested, Mom will try to plead with Gu Nan again. Maybe he can show leniency out of consideration for our neighborhood. There will always be a way, don't worry."

Banggeng pouted, his little face scrunched up like a bun, and despair welled up in his eyes like a tidal wave. Tears fell "plop plop" onto Qin Huairu's hand, hot and wet: "There are only two days left! The notice might arrive tomorrow! Today I heard Liu Guangtian muttering to someone at the alley entrance, saying that I'm definitely going to the countryside, and that I'll never be able to go back to the city in my life. He was so smug, his chin was practically pointing to the sky. I really wanted to go up and beat him up!"

Qin Huairu took a deep breath, gritted her teeth, and dug her nails into her palms, using the stinging pain to keep herself awake. Her voice was resolute, as if she had nothing to lose: "Don't worry, Banggeng. When Uncle Yi comes back, I'll take him to find Gu Nan and have a good talk with him. We'll plead and beg him until he gives in. Even if we only get temporary worker positions so we can stay in the city, that's fine. I definitely won't let you go to the countryside."

Despite saying that, she had no confidence at all, feeling as if she were carrying a block of ice, chilling her to the bone. As night deepened, the streetlights in the alley came on, their dim yellow light filtering through the gaps in the leaves on the courtyard wall, casting dappled patterns on her sorrowful face, like a layer of frost that couldn't be wiped away, leaving her feeling the chill seeping into her bones.

Yi Zhonghai, quite drunk, staggered towards the courtyard, each step feeling like walking on cotton, making him dizzy. His head felt like it was stuffed with alcohol-soaked cotton, so disoriented he couldn't even tell which way was which; the streetlights in the alley appeared as double images. Just as he staggered to the courtyard gate, he saw Qin Huairu standing under the old locust tree, her pale white blouse peeking out from under the shadows, her hands twisting the hem of her garment, her knuckles white from gripping it so tightly—clearly she had been waiting for a long time. He hiccuped, a strong smell of alcohol hitting him, making his eyelids heavy and unable to lift. He slurred, "Qin...Qin Huairu, what...what's wrong? It's the middle of the night, why aren't you home resting..."

Qin Huairu's heart skipped a beat when she saw his drunken state. She had wanted to discuss the matter of sending corn to the countryside with him, but with Deputy Factory Director Li incapacitated, that avenue was blocked, and she was at her wit's end. She could only turn to this "manager" in the compound for help. But seeing how he could barely speak, she knew it would be pointless to talk to him. However, she had no other choice but to steel herself and step forward, her voice pleading and trembling: "Uncle Yi, please sober up… You see, now that Deputy Factory Director Li has been arrested, the corn-sending-to-the-countryside project is completely hopeless. If that child really goes to that poor mountain village, won't he be ruined? You have to help me think of a solution! You're an old man in the compound, you've seen it all…"